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Tower Hamlets, London

Wraparound extension drawings in Tower Hamlets

Wraparound extension drawings in Tower Hamlets are a niche job: only 12 per cent of households here live in a house, so the buildings that can take an L-shaped extension are rare, and many sit on or near a designation. Our drawings start at £1,195 including VAT and begin with a search of the address against every heritage layer.

From £1,195 (VAT included)

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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    Architectural model of a four-storey London stucco townhouse in its terrace, with a portico, area railings, sash windows, a cornice and chimney stacks
    The house as it stands: four storeys over a lower ground floor.Existing Proposed worksAn illustrative model, built for this page.

    How we work on wraparound extension drawings

    Nine steps from first call to approval.

    The same model cut through the middle: every floor, the stair, the chimney breasts, the new mansard, rear extension and basement in section
    Section through the model: every floor on one datum.

    1. Enquiry and constraints check

      We check the property against conservation areas, listed status, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, flood zone and planning history. We choose the right route and send a fixed quote.

    2. Measured survey

      We survey the house on one datum: rooms, levels, boundaries, drains, trees and the neighbours' windows that the 45° and 25° tests depend on.

    3. Design options

      We model the house in Revit and show you options in 3D and plan, with the planning strategy and the precedents in your street.

    4. Design frozen

      You choose an option in writing. Nothing changes after this without your say.

    5. Independent check

      A second chartered technologist checks every sheet against the council's validation checklist and the policy. A senior review signs it off before anything is submitted.

    6. Submission

      We prepare the forms, certificates, fee and documents and submit through the Planning Portal.

    7. Officer liaison

      We answer the planning officer and make any amendments within five working days, at no charge until approval.

    8. Building regulations

      Technical drawings are coordinated with the structural engineer's calculations, the drainage and the planning conditions.

    9. Approval and hand-over

      Building control approval, then a next-steps pack covering the commencement notice, party wall timing and CIL.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    Brick house being extended, with a wide new opening supported over the ground floor

    Few houses, many designations

    With 12 per cent of households in houses and only 23.1 per cent owner-occupied, a Tower Hamlets house with a side passage and a rear garden is a scarce thing. The council publishes 59 conservation areas and 64 Article 4 directions, and Historic England records 916 listed entries in the borough.

    Those numbers mean that the usual first question, whether the house keeps permitted development rights, usually has a short answer. On conservation land the national rule is: On article 2(3) land (conservation areas etc.): no side extensions, no cladding, no rear extension of more than one storey under Class A. The side wing of a wraparound therefore needs planning permission on any such street, and an Article 4 direction can take away the rear extension rights as well.

    We map the house against the conservation areas, the Article 4 areas and the listing, then report in plain terms which route is open before any design drawing is started.

    Finished white-rendered rear house extension with large glazed doors

    Local figures for Tower Hamlets

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Households living in a house12 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Owner-occupied households23.1 % of households owner-occupied (owned outright or with mortgage/loan)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Conservation areas59 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions64 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries916 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions191 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted92.7 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time95.8 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted3 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused4 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)7.4 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Householder: alterations/extensions to a single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026548 GBP—ribblevalley.gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Councils bordering Tower Hamlets
    Single-storey rear extension: the permitted development limitsDepth beyond the original rear wall: 3 m (attached) / 4 m (detached) beyond the original rear wall, single storey. Maximum height: 4 m. Within the zone near the boundary: Eaves no higher than 3 m where within 2 m of the curtilage boundary. Larger extension under prior approval: 6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSIABCD

    Single-storey rear extension: the permitted development limits

    The house in section with a rear extension; the dashed lines mark the zone near the boundary.

    A · Depth beyond the original rear wall
    3 m (attached) / 4 m (detached) beyond the original rear wall, single storey
    B · Maximum height
    4 m
    C · Within the zone near the boundary
    Eaves no higher than 3 m where within 2 m of the curtilage boundary
    D · Larger extension under prior approval
    6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI

    Guidance without a wraparound number

    The council's planning documents that bear on householder work include the Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2031: Managing Growth and Sharing the Benefits, adopted in 2,020, alongside the Central Area Good Growth SPD and High Density Living SPD. Those two are not householder documents, and we found no dimensioned wraparound rule in the guidance for a house extension, so a Tower Hamlets officer will judge a wraparound by the local plan's design policies and the conservation area appraisal for the street.

    The appraisal usually carries the argument. It lists what the council values on that street, such as a uniform rear elevation, a particular brick or a row of matching outriggers, and a good scheme is built around the list. A side wing in a terrace may be unacceptable where the original gap is a feature, and perfectly fine one street away.

    We read the appraisal before we draw and write the design rationale on the drawing itself, which means the officer sees our reasoning without having to ask.

    Listed houses follow a stricter path. Work to a listed building needs listed building consent in addition to any planning permission, and if your house is listed we will say so at the first check so that both are planned together. A house next to a listed building is different: it does not need the consent, but the officer will want to see how the extension affects the setting, and we fold that into the design note.

    Prior approval and the thin statistics

    National rights are: 3 m (attached) / 4 m (detached) beyond the original rear wall, single storey for the rear; and Side extension: single storey, max 4 m high, max half the width of the original house for the side. Tower Hamlets has little use of the larger-home prior approval: in the latest statistics the council granted 3 and refused 4, a sample far too small to read a trend into.

    Householder planning is therefore the route for most wraparounds here, as it is the one that gets a heritage case heard in full.

    Householder decisions in Tower Hamlets

    The council decided 191 householder applications in its latest published year, granted 92.7 per cent and decided 95.8 per cent within eight weeks or an agreed extension.

    A low number of decisions means a small sample, so the grant rate should be read with care. A small sample is also a reason to prepare the application well, since every case stands out. Gardens make up only 7.4 per cent of the borough's land, so the retained garden area is stated on the proposed plan beside the footprint.

    Wraparound extension drawings in Tower Hamlets: fee and scope

    The set contains existing and proposed plans, sections and elevations, a location plan and a block plan, checked by a second chartered technologist. The fee is £1,195 including VAT, fixed in advance, and we redraw at no charge if the council asks for amendments before it decides. The council's fee for a householder application is £548.

    Where houses are in terraces, the party wall matters: Line-of-junction (new wall) notice at least 1 month before work. We draw the junction detail so that the notice and the planning set agree.

    Related drawings and neighbouring boroughs

    A listed or heavily constrained house may do better with a smaller scheme, such as rear extension drawings in Tower Hamlets or side return extension drawings in Tower Hamlets. For the roof, see loft conversion drawings in Tower Hamlets. The borough overview is architectural drawings in Tower Hamlets. Next door, Newham and Southwark have separate rules.

    What you receive

    Planning drawing sheet for a rear extension with plans, elevations and sections
    Sample drawing. Planning drawings for a rear extension: plans, elevations and sections on one sheet set.
    Two-storey rear extension under construction on a semi-detached house
    Every side considered
    Flick across the turntable to spin it.

    Other services in Tower Hamlets

    Wraparound extension drawings nearby

    Questions

    Can I build a wraparound extension in a Tower Hamlets conservation area?

    Only with planning permission, as permitted development does not cover side extensions there. The application carries a heritage case drawn from the street's conservation area appraisal.

    Does Tower Hamlets have a wraparound extension rule?

    We found no dimensioned rule in the householder guidance. The local plan and conservation area appraisals are the tests, so the drawings explain the design choices on the sheet.

    What do wraparound extension drawings cost in Tower Hamlets?

    From £1,195 including VAT, fixed up front. The council's fee is paid separately.

    Sources and dates

    City of London skyline glowing at dusk across the Thames under a dramatic orange sky

    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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